Japans Economic Growth and Americas Vulnerability Essay -- Economy

Japan's Economic Growth and America's Vulnerability For years after the end of the second world war, the Japanese suffered from an inferiority complex. This was the result of the American aid to Japan which helped to rebuild their country. Soon the Japanese started producing goods, small stuff at first, like junky toys in the earlier years - but then came better items, much better items. Now it is the Americans that suffer from the inferiority complex, not familiar with being economically vulnerable and not entirely in control of their destinies. Who to blame - the Japanese of course. If Americans can not learn to compete with the Japanese, then there is going to be some serious trouble because the economic problem will not just "go" away. When Japan lost World War II, six million Japanese had to return home from the colonies Japan lost. These people had to be fed, clothed and housed. The outlook for Japan's recovery did not look very hopeful. The Americans had no intention of helping the Japanese, but the communist victory in China changed this, because the Americans wanted to stop the further advance of communism. Americans started to help Japan out by not making them pay reparations for war damages and opened Japanese trade to other countries. The Americans dissolved the powerful family businesses which opened business to more competition and in the countryside, they took land from the landlords and gave it to the tenant farmers. By the time American occupation ended in 1952, Japan had returned to prewar levels of production. With their recovery now ensured, Japan embarked on a period of great economic growth which is growing at a faster rate every day. The Japanese are now at the ... ...may not last. I believe that they can either become more like the Japanese, giving up the lifestyles so grown accustomed to, by working harder for less money, or learn to live with not always being on top of the world economy. It is always hard to change, but sometimes you have to. Bibliography 1. "Cocksure Japan Loses Confidence", Cook,Peter. From the Globe and Mail Newspaper, May 2, 1992 2. "Japan to Rethink Bullish Marketing Abroad", From the Toronto Star, April 27,1992 3. "The Ties that Bind", Territh, Edith. From the Business Community Magazine, September 24, 1992 4. "Japan Hits Hard Times", Hillenbrand, Barry. From Time Magazine, March 23,1992 5. "Japan in the Mind of America", Morrow,Lance. From Time Magazine, February 10, 1992 6. "The Rise of The Global Village", Baldwin Spiran Stuart Cregier. Pages # 188-190 Copyright 1992 ??